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Orcutt proposes
constitutional amendments to protect taxpayers
'A state
spending limit and a two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes are two
important ideas that need constitutional protections,' says Orcutt
Rep. Ed
Orcutt, R-Kalama, introduced two constitutional amendments today to
protect taxpayers and provide strict parameters for future state
budgets.
"With the death of our state's previous spending limit, Initiative 601,
we've seen what happens when the Legislature has no set parameters for
spending taxpayer dollars," Orcutt said, referencing
Washington's 33 percent spending increase over the last four years.
"We're in the middle of a $6 billion deficit that is due, in part, to
the fact that the Legislature refused to live within its means and went
around specific parameters of state population and inflation
increases."
Orcutt's first proposal,
House
Joint Resolution 4207, would establish a state spending limit for the
fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010. The fiscal limit mirrors the
original language found in the voter-approved Initiative 601 by limiting
expenditures to an increase in the state's population and inflation
growth over the previous three years.
"If lawmakers had stayed true to the spirit and provisions of Initiative
601, we would certainly not be in the same situation we're in today,"
said Orcutt, the ranking Republican on
the House Finance Committee. "The budget hole we're in now would
have been much more manageable."
Orcutt's second proposal,
House Joint Resolution 4208, would require a two-thirds vote of both
legislative bodies for any tax increase.
"The voters of this state want protections from tax increases by their
elected officials," Orcutt said. "They voted for
Initiative 601 in 1993 and then reaffirmed their desire for a two-thirds
vote with the passing of Initiative 960 in 2007."
Orcutt said he fears the Legislature will soon undo the
two-thirds voter requirement found in Initiative 960.
"The law says the Legislature can make alterations to an initiative
after two years," Orcutt said. "Next year, a
simple majority vote by the Legislature can be used to bypass a
two-thirds vote requirement. Talk about a loophole!
"A state spending limit and a two-thirds vote requirement to raise taxes are
two important ideas that need constitutional protections,"
Orcutt said.
Amendments to the state constitution require a two-thirds vote in the
Legislature and then approval by voters at the next general election.
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For more information, contact:
Brendon Wold, Senior
Information Officer: (360) 786-7698
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